Monument Canyon // Colorado National Monument // Grand Junction, Colorado

 I drove three hours west out of the cold snowy Rockies and into the desert landscape of Grand Junction and the spectacular Colorado National Monument. The goal for the day was to hike the full length of Monument Canyon Trail, which is a total length of 12 miles out and back. The trail weaves through desert brush, with a few easy scrambles across sandstone formations, then sweeps around towering walls of red rock, before the final section ascends ledges that eventually give access to the canyon rim. That last section had some fun cat walks next to airy drop-offs, though the cat walks were fairly wide. A very fun day on an excellent trail in an excellent national monument.

Google map of Monument Canyon Trail.